After addressing a need for defense in the offseason, Crew coach Robert Warzycha is still
looking for more.

Six games into the season, the Crew is sixth in Major League Soccer with six goals allowed, and
Andy Gruenebaum’s goals-against average of 1.00 is tied for sixth-best among goalkeepers with at
least five appearances. But there are signs that the best is yet to come from the Crew defense.

“I think we’re giving up a lot of goals,” Warzycha said. “One goal a game, we have to stop it.
If you want to win the games, we have to put ourselves in position not to give up one goal a game.”&
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The Crew has fielded the same starting defenders in all six games, and the overall numbers are
better than a year ago. Through six games last season, the Crew had allowed nine goals and
Gruenebaum had faced a total of 30 shots. This season, Gruenebaum’s save percentage is up (.760
compared with .700) and total shots are down to 25.

In other words, Gruenebaum has been asked to do a little less this season, something he
considers a mixed blessing.

“We’ve done a lot better job of limiting other teams’ chances, so I really haven’t had to do as
much as I was doing early on last year, which is good and bad,” he said. “Sometimes I do like to
get in the groove of games, but that comes at the cost of giving up chances. Some games are easier
when you’re in the flow and you’re seeing a lot of action.”

Now in his second year as the starter, Gruenebaum has one shutout compared with two through the
first six games last season. The biggest anomaly has been in where opponents have primarily done
their damage. Four of the six goals against the Crew have come from outside the penalty area.

“I would just say (they are) different, freak occurrences,” Gruenebaum said. “If you break down
goal by goal, a couple of them you just have to tip your cap to (the opponent) and a couple of
them, it’s a combination of things that I would take responsibility for. It’s just been some weird,
fluky stuff going on.”

All four long-range goals against the Crew have been nominated for goal of the week, and
Vancouver’s Daigo Kobayashi won the honor with his first MLS goal on March 9.

Ten of the Crew’s 43 goals allowed last season (23.3 percent) came from outside the penalty
area. Warzycha said the only common thread between the goals this season has been the obvious
one.

“The players have the ball and they have to make a decision to shoot,” he said. “If you shoot,
you score a goal. If you don’t, you don’t. They made a decision to take a shot from distance, and
they were rewarded for it.”

With 28 regular-season games remaining, Gruenebaum said the numbers will even out in time.

“A lot of things are going to happen in a season,” he said. “It’s a long season, but I think we’v
e gotten a few of them out of the way. Hopefully, it’s back to basics as far as the team defending
and getting (shutouts).”